Robert Mondavi lays off 360 Napa Valley workers
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Saturday, October 2, 2004
(10-02) 17:23 PDT OAKVILLE, Calif. (AP) --
Robert Mondavi Corp. has laid off 360 Napa Valley workers, most of them from its flagship winery here.
The maker of Woodbridge and Opus One wines announced Sept. 14 that the company would sell its Napa vineyards, so the cuts, which equal one-third of the company's work force, were not unexpected.
The move means Mondavi will essentially sever relations with all of its high-end wines and focus on Lodi-based Woodbridge and other inexpensive wines, dubbed "lifestyle" wines.
Some of the 360 people let go will remain with the company until early next year and others were given two weeks' notice, according to company spokeswoman Hilary Martin.
Martin said 83 of those who received pink slips were full-time employees in Oakville, 143 were part-time or seasonal workers at the facility, and another
134 were vineyard workers.URL: